Ameda Temple

Ketu

 

History

Ameda temple is one of the famous snake adoring temples in Kerala, located on the banks of Vembanad Lake, on the Tripunithura-Vaikom route, 20kms south of Ernakulam. The temple is unique in its status as an abode of snake idols brought from abandoned groves across Kerala. Most of the villages have Sarpa Kavu, where idols of snakes are consecrated below Banyan trees of villages. One of the very important temples dedicated to Naga Raja and Naga Yakshi is located in Ameda temple , which is 10 km from Thirupunithura in the Ernakulam-Vaikom road.
The name Ameda itself point to the history of the temple. Once the ‘Sapthamathrukkal’, the Gods to whom the temple is dedicated, including Veerabhadhran, Ganapathy, Brahmini, maheshwari, kowmari, vaishnavi, varahi, indirani and chamundi were traveling through the lake mounted on a tortoise. emples dedicated to Nagaraja and Nagayakshi are in the north-west and North –east of this temple. Towards the North there is a temple dedicated to Maha Vishnu.It is believed that Sage Parsurama who came to this place once was doing Sandhyavandana in the back waters near the temple. Suddenly he saw a very bright light in the middle of the water. As we enter the temple, we can see many idols of snakes made up of different materials. Mostly carved in rock, the sculptures are a part of the sacred grove in the temple. While Sapthamathrukkal is the main deity of the sanctum sanctorum, there are shrines dedicated to Nagaraja & Nagayakshi in the northwest & northeast, and a shrine dedicated to Mahavishnu in the north respectively.
Sage Parasurama built a huge temples dedicated the seven mothers at this place and gave the responsibility of looking after it to A Namboodiri family, who settled down there. Later over years the name Aama ninna idam came to be known as Ameda. I could not find any information about the origin of the Nagaraja and Nagayakshi temples .

Rate and write a review